


The Kingdom of Forbidden Ice

by imapirahana98



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Castle AU, Elemental Magic, Fire Magic, Ice Magic, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Surpression, powers, viktuuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9996899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imapirahana98/pseuds/imapirahana98
Summary: Viktor is the crown prince of the Kingdom Realla. All forms of magic had been banned from his kingdom and his family had not an ounce of magic in their royal blood. Except, Viktor did.He was an Ice elementalist and a powerful one at that.This stories follows his discovery of his powers as a young child through his coronation to becoming the king, to the saving or ruin of his beloved kingdom.





	1. Chapter 1

Viktor Nikiforov was the crown prince of the kingdom Realla. There was a total of five kingdoms throughout the lands in which this universe is based on. Compared to all the other kingdoms, Realla had a few differences. One being that it was the largest compared to all of the other kingdoms and was largely comprised of deep forests and towering mountains, the second was that all magic was banned. If a person had magic they were either executed, in hiding, or smuggled out of the kingdom to a land where they would be respected for their magic. There was the basic Elemental magic (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) and the most powerful, Spark magic.

And Viktor Nikiforov, the crown prince of Realla, had Water magic, specifically Ice, and no one knew but him. If people knew, the kingdom would be thrown into chaos and an uprising would most likely occur where the entirety of the royal family would be executed and a new king/queen would be established.

From the day he could understand what magic was, he had been told that it was bad and should never be used. That people who had it, abused their powers and took advantage of those who could not use it. So, like the rest of his people, he despised magic and anyone who was seen or was suspected of using magic was reported and would be dragged away. To where? Viktor did not know and since he was only 5 at the time he did not really care. His powers had still not manifested so he thought of himself simply as an ordinary prince and nothing more.

The first time he saw magic, was when he was sitting in the throne room with his father, King Yakov, and his mother, Queen Lilia. He was sitting on his mother's lap holding a small seashell one of their guests had gifted to him. They were having a small meeting with some merchants from the seaside towns to establish new trading routes during the winter times when the mountain passes became to clogged with snow to safely pass through. 

Suddenly one of the supposed merchants, a young looking man with dark hair and matching dark eyes,  stood up from his seat at the round discussion table, and said in an eerily calm voice “Banning magic from the lands will lead to the ultimate downfall of your precious kingdom. If we were allowed to use our magic the snow would not be a problem” 

At these words, two of the guards began to move forward ready to apprehend the man using their special enchanted weapons if necessary. However the man held up his hand and muttered something unintelligible to Viktor’s young ears. He soon discovered that no one, including him, could move their bodies. The man continued in an increasing volume, “You can not ban something that is innately ingrained into someone's biology! I will not live under this oppression any longer!” 

Now turning to Viktor’s small frightened form he met the prince’s eyes and unwavering said “let this be a demonstration to the young prince, magic is only harmful to those who truly fear it.” At these words he then set himself on fire with his own fire magic. His screams and words would haunt Viktor’s nightmares for years to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should get a bit more exciting :)

The sudden outburst in the throne room that day had cemented Viktor’s fear of magic, and belief that it was bad. However there were no other magical outbursts for years to come. As he continued to grow, he began to learn more and more about his kingdom and about the basics of ruling. Like reading, writing, arithmetic, and history. However, his favorite thing to do was to visit the city that surrounded the castle. The castle was situated in the dead center of the city and was surrounded by miles upon miles of land. During the afternoon, he would be allowed to venture into the city with his special guard and explore. One of his favorite places to visit was the marketplace on the northside where merchants and shoppers alike went to barter their wares. The place always smelled amazing and it made him feel more connected to the surrounding city. He liked to walk up to the different vendors and “barter” with them. The merchants most of the time would trade a bundle of carrots, fruits, or knick knacks for a small coin the prince offered. A much lower price than was normal, but sometimes simply seeing the young princes face light up in delight was worth it. 

Another place he liked to visit was the small bakery hidden along one of the side streets. He had discovered it one day when he had been exploring the Southern side of the city, and it had begun to pour rain, and out of desperation to get himself and his guards out of the rain had taken shelter in the small shop. The kind women behind the counter had been incredibly welcoming and even made everyone tea to warm them up. Viktor had spent the rest of the afternoon eating warm loaves of sweet bread and playing small games with her. From that day on he made sure to visit her bakery at least once a week.

The last place he liked to visit was the hot springs located to the east of the city. The family that ran it was always incredibly kind to him, and he liked to play with their son, Yuuri, in the hot springs. Yuuri was a year and a half younger than him and would always try to teach him about the kingdom where they came from, Tsuzu. It not only allowed him to in a way continue his lessons in a much more fun way, but he also got to test out a lot of the food from Tsuzu, which was absolutely amazing. Perhaps his tutors thought that only knowing about the food of Tsuzu was not exactly ideal for the crown prince, but for now Viktor did not care. 

As he continued to grow, all thoughts of magic had almost left his mind. That is until one day when there was an outburst of ice magic, and it was his own.


	3. Summer

The first time Viktor had used his powers was when he was eight. The morning had been filled with lessons in the sweltering rooms of the castle and when he was finally allowed on his break, he requested that he take a nap. 

In reality he was planning to sneak off, because he had this heavy itchy feeling under his skin the whole day that was not being helped by the intense summer heat. The guards would be stationed outside of his room so he could sneak out the window and crawl down the wall to escape. He felt bad for doing it, but he needed to be alone and the constancy of human presence around him was making his skin itch even more. 

As he ran through the castle grounds avoiding the guards positioned all around, he decided that perhaps a quick swim in the lake would be a good way to cool down. When he finally reached the lake, he toed of his boots and stripped down. As he waded into the water, the coolness on his skin was such a relief that he did not notice the sudden accumulation of ice on the surface of the lake. It was not until his stomach came against something hard floating in the water that he realized that there was ice in the lake. In summer. And he was all by himself.  
Scrambling out of the water as fast as he could, he quickly grabbed the small dagger that he always carried with him. Magic could be the only explanation for the ice. When he had first come to the lake, the surface had been smooth with only the disturbance of water critters on top to cause any motion. Now there were large pieces of ice floating all over the surface of the lake.  He dressed as fast as he could and was then sprinting off towards the castle.

And that’s when he noticed the snow. He froze in his tracks and turned around.

Now that was weird. The only snow insight was the column that seemed to be enveloping him. As soon as the snow fell from the column three feet (a meter) away from him, it melted in the summer air.

He turned and ran faster.

 

 

By the time he got to his room he was so out of breath and covered in sweat, that it felt horrible just move. The snow had thankfully stopped falling by the time he reached the castle perimeter, but he was still rattled by what had happened. 

Walking to the wash basin in his bathroom, he splashed his face to rid himself of some of the sweat that now covered his body.

"So much for cooling off" he muttered to himself.

Looking back down at the water, he silently wished that it was as cool as the lake had been. Suddenly a tingling sensation came down his arms and seemed to go into the water. Right before his eyes, the water began to freeze.


	4. Half a Hand

Shit.

That had been the first thing that came to his mind when he realized that he had powers.

Wait HOLY SHIT! I HAVE MAGIC. FUCK.

Well now he was going to die. Great.

He had magic and he was going to die.

There was no one else around him, save for the guards posted outside his room so it could not have been anyone else.

Staring at his hand partially stuck in the bucket of ice he could not help the fear that began crawling up his spine after the initial shock began to wear off. Soon tears fell down his face as he tried to uselessly tug his hand out of the ice. His vision began to narrow and he felt utterly nauseous.

He was the crown prince of a beautiful kingdom whose main enemy was magic. It was seen as a form of cheating. Being able to simply have an easier way of life over other people, and abusing that power to get what you wanted.

If the people found out that their crown prince had magic, he and his entire family would be killed. He could not tell anyone.  
If he suppressed it and hid it, he would be fine. Right? Yes...yes, he would be fine. 

At that thought his breathing began to even out and as he further rationalized the situation he was able to calm down enough to focus on the problem at hand. His hand was frozen in a bucket of ice, and he was pretty sure people would ask questions if they found the prince with his hand stuck in a tub filled with ice in his own washroom.

Suddenly a knock was heard at the door and a voice called out “Prince Viktor, if you do not hurry you will be late to your next lesson!”  
“S-sorry! I will be out soon!” he panicky replied, hoping that the person would not open the door. Thankfully, they did not and seemed satisfied to wait for him to emerge. 

Looking back down at his half frozen hand he quickly reached down to the dagger in his boot and set to work at chipping away the ice. Eventually he had feed his hand and locked the washroom door behind him so no one could walk in and see a tub filled with ice. 

As he quickly walked to his lesson he made it his mission to never reveal to anyone that he had ice. He could not afford a mistake like that and he was determined to never use it to cheat. All the work he did, he would do by his own mind and hands. He would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like this chapter because I wanted to do a better job with his initial reaction, but I have been putting it off for so long that I have decided to just post it. I might go back later and revise so that it is more interesting!
> 
> Also I based the knowledge of swearing off of the eight year olds I know, and they don't now fuck but they definitely know shit, crap, damn, etc. I took some artistic liberties ok?


	5. Exposition

The next day, when he met with his history tutor he asked something that was on the riskier side. “Why don’t we ever discuss magic?”  
Startled by the seemingly out of the blue question his tutor answered, “Well there is no need to. Our kingdom does not use magic so we do not learn about it.”

Puzzled by this Viktor replied, “But if I am to rule over a kingdom who does not use magic, how will I be able to pass proper judgement on certain laws or decrements if I know nothing of it? If I am to properly serve the people and ensure no magic is used in the kingdom I need to understand how magic works.”

Startled by the intelligent and strangely wise reply from the young boy, the tutor took a moment to collect their thoughts. “It appears that you have made a fine point prince. I will look into integrating the history of magic in our kingdom. However, I encourage you to also ask your science tutor to explain more about the biological side of things. If will further your understanding of why the kingdom took such severe actions and enacted such strict laws against magic and its users.”

From that day on Viktor learned about the beginnings of magic in the kingdom as well as about the Magic Civil War. However, it all centered on the principle of the kingdom: To keep a good and just society, people must labor by the strength of their own hands and mind.

It was the reason the war had started. Non-magic users and magic users were getting tired of being overruled by others simply because they were born with more magic in their veins. In the days of old, those who had the most power were respected the most, but they also were sent off by their families to train properly with Riek Schools and learn how to use their power to benefit the whole of society. Often times these people were those who became the rulers of their kingdom. The other kingdoms still partially lived by this principle, but were slowly shifting towards the idea that magic was not the only power, knowledge and experience were incredibly important as well. Many of the kingdoms had long been established, and throwing someone who had no experience in the rulings of the kingdom, but was extremely powerful was not a good idea. So most of the royal family's now still had magic, but it was not necessarily the strongest in their kingdom. However, magic was still used to rule and to work.

Each kingdom also began with a sort of specialization in magic. Realla had water/ice magic, Faere had air/ flight, Ciendo was fire/ lightning, Balmra was earth/ plants, and Tsuzu was Spark magic. Spark magic allowed you to manipulate the very energy around the user and was the rarest form of all. 

No one truly knew how many people had magic as many were dishonest about if they did or not, and there was no true way to determine for certain if someone had magic. 

The kingdom of Realla had been much the same as the other kingdoms for years, however people began abusing their powers in higher up positions and would make those under them grovel in submission or kill them off. It generated a society ruled by fear of magic. One day however, a Spark user finally decided that they did not want to live in a society ruled by fear any longer. They created enchanted weapons that could help ward off powerful magical effects if wielded by someone with skill, and therefore kill people who used their magic to inspire fear in those around them. An uprising occurred where those who had magic, no matter if they abused it or not, were killed. The people were tired of living in fear and people who are afraid can do acts thought impossible or immoral to the regular person. 

The leader of the uprising, Viktor’s great- great- great- great grandmother was established as the new ruler and laws were established to root out all magic from Realla. They closed their border for nearly 100 years to establish a new society based on the work of one's own hands, rather than the cheating ways of magic users.

The only problem? Magic did not work in the biological way that our genes do. Rather it was gifted upon people by the gods. If a mother or father had it, they could pass their magic off to their offspring, but it would not be as powerful unless the new child was re gifted with more magic. 

This lead to the problem that families who originally did not have magic, now had a child who did have magic. Soon a sort of underground system took shape. Before the child could be killed, they would send them to another kingdom so that they could live in peace rather than fear. There were a few however, that remained and simply suppressed their magical abilities. These were the people that the soldiers of the kingdom would look for. Magic could be performed behind closed doors to benefit the user, so anyone with it was still a threat to society. 

As Viktor absorbed all of this information and even more, he worked hard to suppress the itchy feeling that was constantly under his skin. He ensured that he was in constant control of his powers and refused to let anyone see how much it put a strain on him and tire him.

Despite this, his friend at the hot springs noticed something was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want some exposition? Some information through a song? lol  
> Sorry this chapter was probs boring but I needed to outline some major details about the kingdom because they factor into the plot later. 
> 
> I already have a bunch of other chapters written, I just have to add connecting chapters so that it flows smoothly. I also have to edit and make sure that I don't contradict myself.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Blue

He had been sitting in the hot springs with Yuuri when he noticed, that Yuuri kept giving him weird looks.  
“What?”

Pointing Yuuri replied “You have these weird blue swirls all around you. And they keep moving around your body in a way. I noticed them before, the last time you came, but it was hard to be certain. They are bigger this time and its… just… I don’t know. They look weird.”

Yuuri’s sister who had been talking with her own friend at the time quickly looked up with a look of panic on her face. She quickly stood up and said something in their native language that Viktor could not fully understand. Turning to Viktor, Mari said “Your highness I’m sorry but Yuuri and I forgot to do something for our parents and we have to go do it right now. Have a safe walk back to the castle!”

And with that she grabbed Yuuri’s wrist, pulled him out of the hot springs and practically ran out of the room dragging a disgruntled and dripping wet Yuuri.

“Well that was weird.” Viktor said confusingly out loud. That had never happened before and Yuuri’s parents normally let Yuuri get out of his chores to play with Viktor. The other girl sitting there, had a similarly confused face. Eventually one of Viktor’s guards suggested “Prince Viktor, would you like to return to the castle.” 

Still wanting to figure out what just happened, Viktor hesitated before getting up and toweling himself dry. He walked back into the inn in hopes of finding Yuuri or anyone else in his family but after 10 minutes of looking he found no one. Which was incredibly weird. They owned an inn. They couldn’t just abandon taking care of their guests. 

After another five minutes of looking around in vain, he signaled to his guards to walk back to the castle with him.


	7. Swirls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's POV

Yuuri was being dragged by his sister through the halls of their families inn and he was more than confused. Not only was he dripping water all over the place (which was a strictly forbidden rule), he had just left his friend in the hot spring by himself. Which he knew was very rude to do.

Finally gaining a little traction on the ground he managed to pull his wrist out of his sister's hand and stop being dragged. “Mari! What are you doing?! We left our friends in the hot springs and I want to play!”  
Thinking for a moment about why he was being dragged along, he added “And what did I say wrong?! I just commented on the blue swirls around him, a lot of other people have swirls!” 

Mari stood there with a look of fear on her face, and she covered his mouth with her hand to prevent him from continuing to speak. “SHHHHH, Yuuri! Don’t let other people hear what you are saying!” Without explaining herself, she grabbed his wrist once again and he was pulled up stairs and locked into their parents bedroom. A minute later, Mari came back with their parents with looks of horror on their face.

His dad knelt down in front of him and said “Yuuri, could you please tell me what happened in the hot springs with your friend?” He completed this with a wavering smile, like he was trying to pretend he wasn’t freaking out. Unsettled, Yuuri began “I was sitting in the hot spring playing with Viktor, and I saw that the blue swirly things around him were bigger and bluer than before. He asked what I was looking at and so I told him about his swirls. But he didn’t understand what I was saying. Did he not notice that his swirls were bigger?” Turning to Mari he asked, “You saw that they were different too, right?”

With a grim look on his face, his father stood up and talked to his mother in a hushed tone. A look of fear crossed his mother’s face, before she started crying and his father went to hug her.

Confused even more than before, Yuuri walked over to his mom “Mama don’t cry! The swirls won’t hurt him they just got bigger! That’s all!”

Wiping her eyes, she grabbed his hand and led him to their bed. Mari and his father joined and they all sat in a circle. That’s when his parents began explaining that he had magic.

His mother began “Yuuri, how long have you been able to see swirls on people?”

Confused at this, Yuuri simply replied “Always? Some people don’t have them, but most do.” Now gesturing to his parents and Mari “All of you have small golden swirls, other people have red, white, brown, or blue like Viktor.”

Another nervous look crossed his parents faces before Mari spoke up “Yuuri, I can’t see the swirls that you are talking about unless someone has really strong magic. Most people don’t see swirls unless...unless” “Unless they have spark magic honey” His mother finished with a soft tone. “The fact that you can see them on almost anyone means that you have really strong magic because you can see the different energies on people that you can manipulate. People with spark magic can use the swirls on other people to change things around them. It is what a lot of other people call energy.” 

Yuuri’s tiny seven year old brain was having a lot of difficulty understanding what his family was saying, but there was one thing for certain. “I have magic?” he asked in a tentative tone. “Yes, Yuuri you have magic and it appears that you have a lot of magic if you can see almost everyone's energy swirls.” Taking a deep breath his mother continued “Yuuri, sweety, there is nothing wrong with having magic, but it is not allowed to be used where we live. It is very bad that you said what you did to Prince Viktor because he now knows that our family probably has magic, but we know you didn’t know about it. That’s why Mari pulled you out of the hot spring to prevent you from saying anything else.” 

His father then spoke, “Yuuri, we are going to have to move to make sure that we all stay safe.”

“WHAT!?!?”

Both he and his sister were wearing matching looks of shock. “I didn’t know papa, I didn’t know that I had magic! Viktor won’t say anything, he’s my friend! We can stay here! He won’t say anything!” Turning more and more hysterical by the second, Yuuri began crying while his parents attempted to calm him down. “Viktor’s my friend, he won’t say anything! I promise! He won’t hurt us, he likes our pool! He won’t say anything!” 

“Yuuri, Prince Viktor can and will say something, and that puts us in danger! We can not stay here no matter how much you think he won’t hurt us, he can! Go pack a bag, we are leaving tonight!” his father shouted.

 

Later that night, as his family’s wagon exited the city he could hear the distant toll of the market clock ringing midnight. They were going to the kingdom of Balmra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I did not post anything yesterday, but the world building is mostly done now. So we can start truly getting into the plot! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Any criticism is greatly appreciated, and I will not get mad. I want to write a good story (hopefully) so any help corrections are very helpful!


	8. Fan

The next day Viktor was still shaken up by what had happened at Yuuri’s home, so after his lessons he returned to the inn. Walking in he met someone who he had never seen before sitting at the front desk. Looking up, the young man’s eyes focused on Viktor and his guards, then the young man’s eyes proceeded to grow to comically large proportions and Viktor had to bite back a laugh. This must be a new person helping out around the inn. Viktor had noticed that they had started to get a bit busier because Viktor went there. 

Other people probably thought that it was an upper class establishment that the Prince went to as a way to flaunt his wealth, when in reality he just liked to go to play with Yuuri...and the food and hot springs were amazing. 

Speaking of Yuuri, “Do you know where Yuuri is?” Viktor inquired of the young man. Taking a moment to realize that he is being asked a question, the young man shakes his head and then in a slightly wavering and high pitched voice says “Yuuri? No Yuuri is visiting here your royal highness.”

Confused Viktor replies “Yes Yuuri. He is my friend and he did not finish playing with me yesterday. Is he o.k.?” Seeming to realize something, the young man quickly shouted in Faeren (the language of air), “Papa, can you come here?” Another deeper voice shouted back “Archer, what is it? I am reorganizing the mess that that other family left back here! You would think they would have at least tried to clean up before leaving!”

...Leaving? What did they mean by leaving?

Speaking in Faeren, Viktor called out “What family are you referring to?”

The rustling that had been happening from before came to an abrupt stop, until an older looking gentlemen with dark hair popped his head out. Looking at the prince, his mouth dropped open to form a small “o” and he briskly walked over.

“Your highness I had no idea that you could speak Faeren! That is very impressive!”

“Thank you.” Viktor replied slightly impatient. Switching back to Reallan and changing his question “Do you know where Yuuri or Mari are?”

“Yuuri or Mari? Are you talking about the children from the family that used to own this place?”

Nodding and then suddenly realizing “Used to? What are you talking about? The family that owns this inn, where are they?” Noticing the Prince’s growing agitation his guards had come up closer to him and all had there hands on their weapons in case they needed to use them quickly.

Sweating nervously the man put his arms up in a surrendering position and said “Please your highness, I do not mean to cause you stress. The family that used to live here sold me the inn yesterday and left sometime in the evening. I have been trying to buy this place for years, and they finally agreed to sell it! I have a feeling they ran into some financial trouble and had to get out quickly so that they could avoid being thrown in jail for not paying taxes.”

That did not seem right to Viktor. He had always known the Katsukis' to be honorable people and he didn't think they would do that. Frustrated, Viktor decided to try and find out some answers himself. Brushing past the two men, he  headed upstairs to the private living quarters. Yuuri always let him go up there so that they could play games in his room and eat dumplings together. When he reached Yuuri’s room he opened the door and was met with a half full bedroom. All of the large furniture was still there, but all of Yuuri’s clothes and small possessions were missing. There were some trinkets still left, and the half full room made Viktor get an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. Quickly walking to the other rooms, he realized that all of them were the exact same. Clothes gone, expensive knick knacks gone, furniture and large decorations still in place.

He couldn’t understand what was happening. Why would Yuuri and his family just leave him? If they were having money problems they could just tell him. He was the prince for crying out loud! **** ~~~~

The guards and bewildered family seemed to be leaving him alone in the hallway letting the potentially deranged prince walk around.

Running back to Yuuri’s room he sat on top of the barren mattress and tried to understand what was happening. Despite knowing a lot of people, he did not have a lot of friends to play with. In reality, Yuuri was probably his closest friend, and now he just up and left him without even saying good bye. Desperately wanting to try to figure something out, he stood back up and walked over to the desk. Suddenly remembering something he quickly pulled the dagger out of his ankle sheath. 

Yuuri and he used to play a game where they would pretend to be spies and would hide “clues” around the house. The mission headquarters where they would receive their assignments from the leader (Mari) would leave a letter in the floorboards underneath Yuuri’s desk. The only way to get them out was by using something to lever up the loose piece of wood. Going under the desk, he pried up the wood and found that the compartment that they used had two letters, and Yuuri’s favorite small wooden fan that Viktor loved seeing him do tricks with. Gingerly he picked up the two letters. On the outside of one it said  _ For Viktor: Open this when you get back to the castle and when you are alone _ the second one said  _ For Viktor: Open if you are about to die _ . 

...Well that was interesting. They had developed a secret code so that they could give letters to each other without others being able to read it. Their deciphering key was Dumplings, and as far as Viktor could tell both letters were written with the code. He pocketed both of the letters and reached to pull out the fan which had a small note attached to it.  _ Happy Birthday Vitya _ . He carefully placed the fan into an inside pocket and replaced the floorboard along with sheathing the dagger.

Standing he walked into the hall, thanked and apologized to the man and his son for his strange behavior and their help, and then walked back to the castle with his guard in tow. 

 

 

 

 

 

Once back in his room and he was by himself. He carefully took out the fan and placed it in his bedside drawer along with the letter saying to read it only if he was dying. It was morbid, but Viktor was going to listen to what Yuuri asked. According to his father that was the best way to gain and maintain trust. Follow through with your word and listen to what others have to say. 

Sitting on his bed, he took out the other letter and opened it carefully.

_ Dear Viktor, _

__ _ I hope that you find this letter, and read it. Mama and Papa would not let me say goodbye and this was the only thing I could think of in such a small time. We are leaving and going to Balmra because I did something that could get us in trouble. Once we find a new home I will try to write a letter to you, but it might take a while. So happy early birthday! Keep the fan safe for me o.k.? If I ever come back I can teach you cool tricks! _

__ _ I need you to promise me that you won’t open the other letter unless you are actually dying or are about to die. Promise? Good.  _

__ _ Next I wanted to tell you to never tell anyone about the blue swirls around you. It’s something bad, but they won’t hurt you, I promise. After you read this letter, burn it. _

__ _ Your Friend, _

__ _ Yuuri _

Reading over the letter two more times trying to absorb as much information as possible, Viktor walked to the fireplace and threw it in. As he watched the yellow flames burn the words he said “I promise.”


	9. Magic Child

Before Viktor’s 10th birthday his parents had made a startling announcement at dinner. 

“Vitya, how would you like a little brother or sister?”

Viktor looked up from his soup quickly and with an excited tone “Really?!”

The King and Queen chuckled at his reaction and confirmed “Yes, really. I take it that you are excited?” With an enthusiastic nod, completely forgetting his half finished dinner he quickly started asking any question that popped into his head. 

As they continued to talk, Viktor could not help himself from feeling relieved at the announcement. When he was older he could simply relinquish his name to the throne and the kingdom could be ruled by someone who was fit to rule and not an imposter. With this thought in mind, he fell asleep with a small smile gracing his lips.

  


  


  


  


When February came around his mother had swelled to an enormous size and Viktor found more often than not that he would be assisting her in whatever way he could. To say that he was excited about his sibling was an understatement. On the last day of February, Viktor found himself sitting with his mother reading a book about exotic animals outloud. Suddenly his mother grunted in pain and the hand that she had been using to help him follow along with, reflexively tightened around his small hand in a death grip. “Ow! Mama you’re hurting me!”

His mother's face, contorted in pain, did not say anything but she did relax her grip enough for his hand to slip out. Tentatively Viktor asked “Mama are you ok?” When it looked like his mother was about to answer again her face scrunched in pain again, and this time she screamed. 

One of the guards standing post outside of the room rushed in, and came to the queen's side. “Your highness, what’s wrong?!” With another grunt of pain, his mother grit out “The baby is coming.” 

After that statement the castle was thrown into chaos. They had not been expecting the child for another 2 and half weeks. The room they were in was quickly turned into a midwife's practitioner as any attempt to move the queen was met with screams and curses. Viktor was sent to go fetch clean linen for the queen and off he sprinted to the opposite side of the castle.

He could hear his mother's screams from there.

Once he had his arms filled with towels he ran back to the wing in which his mother resided. However once he approached the corridor he was blocked by four guards standing at the entrance. As someone who was almost never blocked by guards he had not been expecting the firm yet gentle push back from one of them. Stumbling slightly he looked around the pile of towels in his arms to stare confusedly. “We are sorry your highness, but we have been instructed to not let anyone past this point, and sadly it appears that includes you.” 

Viktor stood there shocked trying to comprehend the fact that he could not get through. “But...but I’m the prince?” He said with a confused tone. “And mama needs me.” He said a bit more firmly, almost like he was trying to convince his himself. The guards looked at him with faces of remorse and stated, “We are sorry, but orders are orders and we can not let you through.”

Another screamed ripped through the halls and stunned, Viktor dropped his armful of towels on the floor. Scrambling he bent to pick them up but still could not make sense of the situation. The screams only increased in volume. Suddenly there was a warm pair of hands on his and when he looked up he found one of the maids, who quickly helped him to pick up the towels. 

“Your highness, I can take care of the towels. Why don’t you return to your room and try to fall asleep?” Nodding his head slowly he murmured a gracious thank you, then turned to walk towards his room. However something made him turn and walk towards the grand foyer where they accepted guests. Once there he curled up in a corner and simply stared at the grand doors listening to his mother's screams and the hum of the chaotic castle around him.

Sometime later the doors were thrown open and a man in black robes ran in following one of the court advisors. Running past they headed in the direction of the Queen, and from that moment on the screams died down to the point of nonexistent until finally when dawn was just beginning to break, there was silence throughout the castle. Standing up slowly, Viktor began to walk back to the previously blocked off hallway. Standing in front of the guard unsure until he saw his father appear behind them. “Vitya! Come here, come meet your baby brother!”

Now with a smile plastered on his face, Viktor ran through the guards and then into the room. Sitting on the bed his mother looking incredibly exhausted, held a small bundle of blankets in her arms. Walking over to the bed cautiously he  peered at the blankets not being able to see much of anything. 

His father walking into the room behind him told him to go sit in a chair. Taking the bundle from his mother he walked over and carefully put the baby in Viktors arms. Instructing him how to hold it properly and staying there just in case. Looking down Viktor stared at the dark pink thing in his arms. It was completely bald and was dozing in a lackadaisical manner. “His name is Yuri” the king said in a warm tone as he looked on. Seemingly recognizing his name, the baby eyes slowly opened and Viktor was met with beautiful clear green eyes. Smiling Viktor crooned “Hello Yuri, I am your big brother Viktor.”

Yuri yawned and fell right back asleep. _Well so much for a good first meeting I guess?_ He thought to himself.

Curious about the rest of the tiny body in his arms, Viktor shifted the blankets a bit more only to find the smallest hands that he had ever seen. Holding his own palm up to the tiny hands he was astounded by the difference in size. Shifting the blankets further to look at the assumed tiny feet, Viktor froze when he saw something encircling his brother’s ankle. Situated upon the malleolus (part above the larger joint) was a rune marking. 

A magic blocking rune marking. 

What. 

That could only mean...

His brother had magic. 

All he could do was stare. Like staring at it would eventually make it go away. The king eventually realizing what had grabbed his attention repositioned the blankets and quickly pulled Yuri out of his arms. “Viktor I can explain you just need to…”

Viktor did not hear the rest of what he was going to say. He had already sprinted out of the room with tears streaming down his face.

By the time he made it to the garden, he was a mess. Hot tears burned tracks down his face and he could feel his powers getting out of control. Quickly finding a place to hide he crawled into a bush as everything around him began to freeze. He didn’t even realize it had been a rose bush. He didn't feel the sharp thorns of pain.

He spent the rest of the day curled up in the rose bush crying for what felt like hours.  _ How? How could this happen!? _

He wanted to scream out in frustration but knew if he did it would only alert people to his location, and considering the fact that the ground and rose bushes were covered in ice there would be no way to explain it away. 

So he stayed and cried until it felt like he couldn’t cry any more. Then he remembered his situation and discovered that yes, he could cry more. Never would he be able to freely use his powers. They were probably planning on killing Yuri right now as his blood would probably taint their precious blood line. They were going to kill HIS brother for doing nothing but being born. He cried in frustration and sadness and anger getting everything he could out until he felt emotionally numb. 

Eventually a young maid had found him. The sun had already set and the stars were shining brightly in the night sky. A hand had reached into the thorn bush and gently shook his shoulder.

“Viktor? Prince Viktor it’s Anna. Can you come out please?”

Steeling himself for his awaiting role, he slowly crawled out of the bush. This time he felt the pain, but he did not really mind it. In reality it helped to ground him. Remind him that despite everything he was still human, and humans felt pain. 

Once he was fully out, Anna wordlessly handed him a thick blanket and a handkerchief and Viktor smiled gratefully before using it to put himself back together.

When they walked to the edge of the garden, the guards positioned there looked relieved before one ran off. “Where is he going?” Viktor inquired.

“Your highness, the entire palace has been looking for you all day, and every guard has been put on high alert. A search party was sent out to find you in the forest and town at dusk so he is simply going to notify the centuries to ring the all clear bell.”

Feeling a tad guilty about his disappearance he began him apologizing to the guard. 

“Your highness if I may be so bold?”

Viktor nodded his head for the guard to continue.

“I am not the one to apologize for. The king has been worried sick about you all day on top of the queen falling quite ill for unknown reasons, and the arrival of Prince Yuri. I suggest immediately going to him and simply reassuring him that you are alright.”

Nodding in understanding, fear began to creep up his spine.  _ His mother was sick? _ Quickly turning to the door that led inside he began running back to his parents chambers as the all clear bells began ringing out. 

Once inside the castle, Anna helped him to his parent’s bedroom. He thanked Anna for finding him not worrying about how she had for the moment, and dismissed her. He then walked into his parent’s room. His mother was propped up on the pillows while one of the courts healers tended to her ghastly complexion. Looking over to the corner he found his father simply staring at his wife and holding baby Yuri in his arms. He looked in a state of numbness. Like a soldier who simply looked at the bodies of the dead with barely a flicker of emotion. 

Walking over, Viktor gently placed a hand on his father’s arm. Startled, the king jumped and met his eyes with a look of barely concealed desperation. For what? Viktor didn’t know, but once the king's eyes flickered with recognition a damn seemed to break and relief overcame his features.

“Vitya, thank goodness you are alright. Can I talk to you in the side room please?”

Viktor nodded and followed his father along with Yuri into the side room. Sitting on one of the plush sofas in the side room.

“Vitya I know this is hard for you, but Yuri was born with magic. We put a rune that will keep his magic trapped on his ankle to make sure he can’t hurt anyone, but for now we must keep it a secret. Can you do that?”

Nodding shakily, Victor agreed. He sat there for the rest of the night trying to understand how unlucky he was but eventually he passed out from sheer exhaustion.

  


  


  


  


  
The next morning, the information still had not sunk in, and in reality  would take months to really cement into his mind. He purposely avoided the small boy as they grew u in the same home but lived separate lives. His heart ached for the brother that he was supposed to love and protect with all his being. Instead however, he ignored Yuri. Every time the little boy would enter the room, he stood up and left. 

Dinners were not eaten as a family anymore. A nurse maid took care of Yuri as their mother was to ill to even stand from bed, and Viktor ate alone in the expansive dining room. Eventually, he began inviting other noble houses to join him simply so he would not be alone. They all gave slightly confused looks when there “Evening with the Royal Family” consisted of a small boy who would quietly eat his dinner and talk of far more complicated topics than they were expecting and then invite them to go read in the library. 

**Despite having others there though, it only made him lonelier as they all left to their warm houses with their smiling families. Viktor could only feel a sort of helplessness as he sat in the bath tub and made it snow in his bathroom. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the huge gap. I legit just stopped writing and dreaded going back , but I said I would finish it and I will...even if it is super crappy. So I'm sorry and here is another chapter.


	10. The Club

During his 13th birthday he was given the best gift he could have hoped for. Makkachin. The feeling of loneliness was slightly abated and he took respite in raising the puppy and ensuring it was loved in a way that he never was.

 

 

As Viktor continued to study and avoid his growing brother at all costs, he also began learning how to fight, and discovered that he enjoyed sword fighting and archery. They brought a focused mind set that allowed him to forget his loneliness and even allowed him to not have to focus on repressing his magic as much. Despite getting some relief when practicing sword fighting and archery, he soon discovered that his powers were growing at an almost exponential rate. One day he woke up to find that there was frost growing on the windows to his bedroom, and that breath fogged the air as he exhaled. The biggest problem? It was summer. During a heat wave. And he could make faces in his window out of frost.

Quickly he closed his eyes and focused on making the ice melt like he had been practicing. Thankfully the frost did go away but the room was still ridiculously cold. He quickly threw open the windows and let the hot summer air seep into the room as he got dressed.

As the hot weeks continued he began to realize that if he sat in a room for too long the temperature would noticeably drop and eventually frost would begin to form. He needed to find a solution quickly. 

On his daily afternoon walks into the city, he began looking for something. Despite magic being against the law, he knew that there still had to be people who practiced it. If he could figure out a way to secretly learn how to control his magic, or better yet get a similar marking to Yuri’s, then he would not have to constantly worry about his pen being covered in frost while his guards tried to suppress shivers in the corners of the room. After a few weeks of searching, he was almost certain that he had found what he was looking for.

For the first time in years he snuck out at night by himself armed with a short sword and a few hidden weapons. He had braided his hair into a tight plait that allowed him to cover his distinctive hair in a hood, along with a black cloak that also helped to hide the shape of his body. He silently crept along the streets sticking to the shadows as the city nightlife bustled around him. 

As he walked he began to wonder if the gamble he was making was worth it. He had figured out that he could lower his voice and cause his eyes to turn a silver blue so that he could better hide his identity, but if he was discovered he would be endangering many people by the rumors that would spread like wildfire throughout the lands.

Why is the crown prince sneaking off into the city by himself in the middle of the night? What is he hiding? Is he conspiring with anyone to take more power than he deserves?

He let even more thoughts swirl through his head as he finally came to the place that he had scouted out during his daily trips to the city.

A door hidden away in a side alley next to the bakery he liked to visit. To any passerby it looked like nothing was there, or that there was simply an old forgotten door. What he had noticed however, was the fact that the hinges on the side of the door were well oiled to prevent any sound from escaping as the door was opened, and the fact that the alley leading to the door looked like it had been walked on by quite a few people since the cobbles were not as dirty or covered in mold compared to the other alleys throughout the city.

Ensuring that there was no easy way to identify himself, he raised his hand up to knock when the door slightly pulled open by itself. A deep voice came from the other side, “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

Not having any idea how to respond, he lamely answered “I was going to knock?”

“Look boy, the best thing for you to do right now is turn around and go back home and forget you ever came here.”

With those words spoken he began to close the door. Feeling a little desperate Viktor blurted “I thought this place was for magic.”

At this the door paused in its motion and the deep voice became laced with anger. “Boy, I highly suggest turning around right now unless you want to find out the hard way what it feels like to be stabbed and left for dead in an alley.”

Despite the man's threatening words, this only confirmed Viktors suspicions. As the door was about to close he quickly said “Wait! I have magic, I can prove it.”

Again, the door paused but nothing was said. It was then that Viktor realised that the person was waiting for him to prove that he had magic. Holding out his gloved hand he formed a compact sphere of ice in his palm and held it so it caught the dim light coming from the street.

A few moments passed until finally the door swung wide enough to let Viktor pass through. As he entered the doorway he found himself face to face with the doorguard who quickly shut the door behind him. It was a surprisingly young person with a stoic face who simply nodded for Viktor to follow him. 

On guard with knives ready to be pulled out if he needed to fight, Viktor followed the young man as he was led through a hidden door behind a dresser and a hanging tapestry. As Viktor walked through a narrow and dimly lit corridor he heard murmured voices and saw the dim torchlight that illuminated the room. When he walked into the light of the room, everyone had gone silent and he was met with some faces and other cloaked figures all with wary expressions.

The room that he had stepped into was sizable and could comfortably sit 50 people. At the moment, there were about 15 other people that appeared to be of any gender, and they were all seated around a large wooden table.

One of them spoke up and asked, “Seung-Gil who is this boy that you have brought us.”

The guard, Seung-Gil, Viktor corrected in his mind, answered, “Besides the fact that he is a Water Elementalist, I don’t know who he is.”

Thankfully this answer seemed to be enough as the man nodded and then turned to Viktor. “Alright, show us what you got.”

Again, Viktor held out his hand and summoned a sphere of ice. At this, the man's eyebrows raised with a look of approval. He gestured for Viktor to come forward then and sit with the rest of the group.

Sitting next to the man that had spoken, he was then asked about his name.

Up to this point Viktor had known that he would have to gain the trust of the others and the only way to do that was to show off his powers, but he still had not seen any of these people use powers of their own.

“Sir I don’t mean to offend, but I don’t plan on sharing my name until I actually know if I am where I should be.”

At this, the stranger seemed to nod in understanding at which point he raised his hand and suddenly a small gust of wind blew through the room. Despite his attempt to remain calm, it startled Viktor as he had technically never seen someone use air elemental magic. 

At his startled reaction, the other man chuckled, “You’ve never seen someone else use air magic have you?”

All Viktor could do was shake his head in a no gesture which then lead to the man asking if anyone else was willing to show their guest their own powers. At this a full demonstration began in which each person around the table gave a small demonstration of their powers. Some summoned small balls of fire in their palms or would create little mud men that would dance across the table. One even made a small twister in the center of the table that nearly blew his hood backwards before he caught it.

When everyone had demonstrated their power, the man turned to him and said, “My name is Leo. You can either give us your real name or a fake one. It doesn’t matter as long as you follow the rules. What we do here is pretty simple. If we need to, we blow off a little steam that normally would hurt other people if we did it outside. It’s an open space where you can talk about whatever you want or ask for advice if you are struggling with controlling your powers. You don’t have to participate if you are simply looking for a place to relax where you don’t have to be so scared about using your powers, that’s fine. We do have a few rules that everyone has to follow though. The first one is no prying into each others business. If you see someone from here in regular society do not acknowledge them whatsoever. Second, no hurting anyone here with your powers. We understand if it's an accident, but if you intentionally hurt one of us, you're family is going to be finding you dead in an alley somewhere. Finally, never talk about this place with anyone else. Always make sure you are not being followed. This small group is built on trust and if one person messes up we’re all dead.”

With the final word Viktor nodded in understanding, “My name’s Evan. Thank you.” He said this while meeting the eyes with other people in the room to ensure they understood he meant what he said.

Everyone seemed to nod at that and Viktor decided it was finally time to ask about what he had come here for.

“My biggest problem right now is I can’t control my powers, and the keep getting stronger. If I’m in a single place to long, frost begins to form around me and the temperature noticeably drops. It's only getting worse and I have no idea what to do.”

At the last statement a little desperation had seeped into his tone but Leo seemed to understand what he was struggling with.

“Have you considered moving to another kingdom? I know it's hard, but by the sounds of it you’re pretty powerful and it would probably help if you went to a magic school to gain control.”

Viktor shook his head no, as he explained “I can’t go to another kingdom. My family can’t move and I refuse to go anywhere without them. I want to stay, but I also want to make sure that I won’t hurt them. Please anything that you have that will help me gain control.”

Leo seemed to be considering for a moment, until he said “I understand. Most of us are here simply because we want to stay with our families and live our lives the way we choose to. Despite it being difficult, this is our home and our families home. We’ll help you.”

The other people nodded their heads with sad but hopeful looks on their faces.

A young man who introduced himself has Guang Hong spoke up and said “I’m still growing myself and I still struggle with this. To start off with, tiredness and emotional outbursts cause powers to be even more erratic than they already are. So being in a relaxing job or an environment that is relaxing is crucial to help controlling powers.”

Another person spoke up “I personally suggest meditation as it is a good way of clearing your mind to focus on one thing. When you come here, practice using your powers so that you have a better idea of how they work and how you can either increase or decrease the potency of the magic you use.”

And another “Lastly, we can give you dampener bracelets that are made by a Spark user we know that will cause your powers to be well...dampened. Any other questions?”

As he was talking Viktor had been making mental notes of all of the suggestions and when he mentioned the dampeners he almost sighed out loud with relief. There was something that could help give him control back, which was a thing he desperately wanted.

“Thank you, that is extremely helpful. The dampener bracelet would be gratefully appreciated. How much do they cost?”

At this Leo smiled and reached towards his wrist and undid something under his sleeve. He held it out to Viktor saying, “Free for the first one. For now just try to work on control and you can give this back to me later when you think you have enough control to not need it. Deal?”

Gingerly, Viktor took the bracelet with a murmured thank you and carefully attached it to his own wrist. Immediately he felt the bracelets power. It was like a dimmer switch, and he felt the itch under his skin lessen in intensity. He relaxed and finally realized how tense he had been for weeks now, constantly afraid of turning any room he was in, into a mini freezer.

Leo smiled at his reaction and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You will grow to understand your powers and therefore gain control as you get older. Just give it time.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Viktor said with a gratitude he could barely contain,

Finally. Finally there were people who understood him and could help him. Finally people knew what he could do… even if they did not know who he was. That night as he slipped into his bed far later than normal he felt a peace that he had not felt in years.

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the next two years, Viktor worked into his schedule meditating every morning and night for a half hour. It helped to clear his head and to prepare for the day and allowed him to relax at night. He continued to go to the secret meetings twice a week and sometimes more when he was overly stressed.

The meetings helped to a point, slowly he was learning how to do some fun tricks with his magic and he often found himself enjoying himself at the meetings. However, his magic continued to grow and he found himself having to wear another two bracelets to even maintain a semblance of control over his powers.

As he continued to struggle with control, his mother had begun to get better. Her health had improved to the point that she could get up and walk around for a few minutes before having to sit down again. His father was overjoyed from this, and began insisting that they all sit together for meals at least once a week.

To say it was awkward was an understatement. Yuri, who was now nearly five years old, did as well as a publicly shamed child could and simply sat there grumpily staring at his plate. His parents tried to get them to talk and would have them say what they did that day, but more often than not, they would be met with clipped words and hurried sentences.

Despite this, Viktor did actually enjoy the time. He missed what his family had had, but still loved them and knew that he could never truly hate what circumstances had befallen upon him. 

Unbeknownst to Yuri, Viktor still looked out for him. He ensured that the maids and servants that took care of him actually cared about Yuri, and didn’t judge him for his magic. If anyone was showing any signs of malcontent he would figure out a way to replace them. He would also leave fictional fairy tale stories in Yuri’s pile of books that he had to learn from. Occasionally, Viktor would spy on him in the library while he was “studying” and would feel a sense of joy when he saw a small smile cross the sad child's face whenever he came across one of Viktor’s books. 

**Even though Viktor acted like he hated Yuri and only tolerated him because he was told to, the small joy he was able to bring to his brother, made the loneliest days just a bit better. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok another chapter for today to hopefully make up for my giant gap. Sorry again! 
> 
> :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. :)
> 
> This is a map of the land:http://imapirahana98.tumblr.com/image/158301429712  
> (It may or may not be based off of Scotland, but each region is about the size of a continent and the whole thing is surrounded by water. If you left Balmra and kept sailing straight you would get to Faere eventually)


End file.
